Now when we say people profiling, we’re not talking about the sort of information deduced by Sherlock Holmes to reveal who released the Baskervilles. No, instead we mean understanding the relevance, benefits, and hindrances that various groups of consumers can have on a brand.
Nowadays, everything or everyone is given a label. We’re not saying anything is wrong with labels; in fact they are often great tools for advertising and source of branding. However, there is a risk in assuming that everyone who falls under a particular label is the same. Here we will explain 3 main people profiles and what they can mean for your brand and its marketing.
Trailblazers
Trailblazers are individuals who want to affect positive change in the world, disrupting the common order of things to create their own innovative empires. True entrepreneurial spirit is the backbone of trailblazers. Trailblazers often range from early 20s to mid-30s, as this is the age range when people are most confident to explore and experience new things.
Often falling into the Millennial category, trailblazers will favour making waves through experiential marketing campaigns as opposed to directly through TV or radio. As a generation who’ve grown up surrounded by social media, the trailblazers know a strong experiential that wows an audience will soon be shared across digital, thus making the campaign accessible to all and maximising exposure.
In terms of trailblazers as a consumer, if impressed by a new discovery, be it a new product or service, trailblazers can become passionate advocates for a brand. However, the confident trait of the trailblazer indicates they would not hesitate to broadcast negative thoughts on a brand if it did not live up to expectations.
Early Adopters
This people profile will be the first to use a new product or service. They are often willing to accept and pay a premium, if they feel they are getting value for money or even if it raises their social status. And for a brand, creating an affiliation between customers and consumers, particularly early adopters, enhances the brand’s ability to build their social currency. A presence within social networks grants the brand access to information on how their product/service is being perceived by the early adopting consumer.
In this digital age, it would be of no surprise to see Vloggers and other social influencers almost becoming celebrity early adopters; paid and sponsored to promote a new product, instead of paying a premium for it themselves. For example, if brands know the mass market listen to the views of early adopters before making a purchase, brands could sponsor Vloggers to act as accessible early adopters, highlighting all the qualities of a new product/service, to reassure watching consumers who are not early adopters themselves.
Baby Boomers
The baby boomer generation was born towards the end of WWII, up to the mid 1960s. Not always at the forefront of the minds of brands when determining their brand strategy, the baby boomers should in no sense be discounted as a profitable audience to target.
At first glance it is sometimes difficult see where the profits lie in targeting the baby boomer generation, particularly for tech companies. But with this generation almost being forced to become more tech savvy due to limited alternative options on the market, they are definitely an audience worth pursuing. Moreover, baby boomers have on average the highest disposable income of all the profiles mentioned, so actually have real money to spend.
The problem lies in how to market to this audience. Although many are knowledgeable on modern forms of communication such as social media; traditional media such as TV, Radio and Print are still likely to be most effective, as they are what the baby boomer generation have grown up with and trusts; this trust being vital to many purchasing decisions.
To add audience profiling to your marketing toolkit, contact SWC Partnership, a Full Service Integrated Marketing Agency with offices in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and London by clicking here.
